D-Day: 70 years later (pictures)

Seven decades after the Invasion of Europe, little remains of Hitler's Atlantic Wall. Instead, monuments to the bravery of Allied soldiers stand tall. Here's a photo tour of Omaha and Utah beaches and the American Cemetery at Normandy, 70 years after D-Day.

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Utah Beach

Though Utah Beach didn't have the same intensity of fighting as Omaha (which I visited next), there were still 450 casualties from the 23,250 men who landed there.

A sight not unlike this

Prefab concete

These are one of the only remains of anything on the beaches from those days. I believe they're prefab concrete blocks meant as a base for the temporary docks they built after the beaches were cleared.

Operation Neptune

Deserved

All throughout the cemetery, WWII veterans were followed by groups of all ages. Pictures taken, autographs signed, hands shaken, these men were treated like rock stars. (I even overheard one of them saying so.)

Chapel

In the center of the cemetery is this small, round chapel. Around it are benches where several veterans were sitting, talking to small groups of people, signing autographs, and having their pictures taken.